Air heater and moisture supply for carburetors



S. R DU BRIE. AIR HEATER AND MOISTURE SUPPLY FO R CARBURETORS.

.APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24. 1921.

1,41 ,289. Patented J 11110 13, 1922.

PAT

OFFICE.

STANLEY It. DU BRIE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN;

AIR HEATER AND MOISTURE SUPPLY FOR CARBURETORS.

Specification of Letters Iatent. Patented Ju 13 1922 Application filedFebruary 24, 1921. Serial No. 447,538.

To all whom it ma concern: I

Be it known that STANLEY R. DU BRIE,

I a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Detroit in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Heaters and MoistureSupplies for Carburetors, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

It is yvell known that the introduction of small quantities of water orsteam into an internal combustion engine along with the ingoingexplosive charges, aids in preventing the accumulation of carbon in theengine cylinders, but difficulty has been experienced in introducing theroper amount under varying conditions. eating of the ingoing air foradmixture with the fuel has also been practiced to aid in vaporizationof the fuel, and the introduction of small portions of the hot products.of combustion along with the charges has also been tried to effectvaporization of the fuel and give a better explosive mixture.

An object of this invention is to secure the several advantages of allof these methods of supplying combustible charges to internal combustionengines and further to provide means for automatically introducing intotheengine the amount ofmoisture necessary to secure best results underthe variations in running conditions. It isalso an object to furtherobject is to provide simple and efficient means for the purpose, whichmay be cheaply manufactured and readily installed, and which has certainother new and useful features, all as hereinafter more fully described.

With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in thematters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in theappended claims, reference bemg had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich- F 1gure l-is a partial side elevation of an englne showing intakeand exhaust manifolds and a carburetor, with a device illustrative ofthe invention in operative position relative thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section substantially upon the lineII-II of Fig. 3 of a device adapted to carry out the invention, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same substantially uponthe line III- III of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, the engine cylinders are indicated at A with an exhaustmanifold B and an inlet manifold C. The carburetor which is indicated asa whole at D is connected to the lower end of the manifold C and appliedto the airinlet pipe E of the carburetor, is a device embodying theinvention. This device may be connected to the air inlet of a carburetorin a horizontal position as shown or it may be set. in a verticalposition where the carburetor construction is such that it may be moreeasily applied in that manner.

The device comprises a cylindrical casing 1 having headers 2 betweenwhich extend a series of tubes 3, the tubes being welded or otherwisesecured'at their ends within openings in the headers 2. Caps 13 securedto the ends of the body 1 form chambers at the ends of the body intowhich chambers the tubes 3 open and the space 4 within the body betweenthe headers forms a heating chamber, the body being provided at one sidewith an inlet 5 and at the opposite side and preferably near theopposite end with an outlet. 6. The caps 13 for the body are providedwith flanged axial openings for the attachment of the body to the airinlet pipe E of the carburetor so that the air passing to the carburetoris first drawn in through the air inlet opening 7 at one end of the bodyinto the air chamber 8 then passes through the tubes 3 into the airchamber at the opposite end of the body and then out through the outlet9 into the carburetor. The inlet 5 of the bodyis connected preferably bya pipe 10 with the exhaust manifold, B so that a part of the hotproducts of combustion will be diverted through the pipe into the body 1and pass across the body around the several tubes 3 and finally find itsway through the outlet 6 to the atmosphere, said outlet being providedwith a pi e 11 to conduct the gases away from the bod if founddesirable. The hot exhaust gases are thus caused to pass around thetubes 3 through which the cold .through the inlet 5 which is locatedadjacent the opposite end of the body will come into contact with thesetubes and in flowing across the body will heat the tubes so that one endof the tubes will at all times be comparatively cool while the otherends of the tubes willbe heated to quite a high degree. The hot exhaustgas coming into contact with the comparatively cool portion of the tubesas it passes toward the outlet 6, will be cooled and the moisturecontained therein will be condensed. This moisture is usually a residueof the fuel or partially burned fuel and when brought into properadmixture with air is combustible.

In the header 2 at the outer end of the body is a small opening 12, thisopening being provided to permit the condensation from the exhaust'gasesto pass out of the chamber 4 into the chamber 8,at the end of the bodyand thus into the current of heated air passing to the carburetor. Ithas been found that this condensation from the exhaust gaseswill be justsufficient to provide the proper amount of moisture to theingoingcharges, at all speeds of the engine and this moisture, taken in withthe charges into. the engine cylinders will prevent the accumulationofcarbon, thus keeping the-cylinders and spark plugs clean at all times.This moisture which is condensed from the exhaust also has fuelqualitiesand adds to the fuel, which is dr am in and mixed with airtoform the explozlive charges, this condensation being drawn in alongwith the heated air and mixed with the fuel in the mixing chamber of thecarburetor.

By properly proportioning the amount" 'of moisture will be sup liedtothe ingoing charges and that this moisture, being in the form of acombustible fluid, will add to the fuel supplied by the carburetor andthus increase the power and speed of the engine, at the same timepreventing the accumulation of carbon in the cylinders. The amount ofthis moisture will vary accordin to the varying conditions of operation0 the engine so that there will never be too great an amount of moisturesupplied for proper admixture with the fuel charges.

- The tubular form of heater shown in the drawings is merelyillustrative of one form of device for-heating the air going to thecarburetor, and at the same time supplying to the ingoing chargesmoisture condensed from the gases which are used to heat this air, butit will'be understood that any suitable form of device may be employedfor this purpose, the one shown bein simple and chea to manufacture andreadily applicable to t e usual form of carburetors, making the devicevery simple to install. Obviously other forms may be employed to provideair passages for the lngoing air and means for conducting the hot gasesinto contact with these passages thereby'condensing from the gasescertain moisture which moisture falls to the bottom and is thenconducted directly into the in going air while the uncondensed portionsof the exhaust pass out to the atmosphere. I do not therefore, desire tolimit myself to the particular construction of device shown and wish toinclude such changes or modifications as fall within the scope of theappended claims;

What I claim is 1 1. A device of the character described in cluding aconduit through which air is drawn by on he inspiration, means forconducting ex aust gases from an engine into external contact with saidconduit to condense moisture contained in said gases and means fordelivering said condensatiorli to the ingoing air for admixture therewit2.1 device of the characted described, means for conducting air to anengine intake, means for conducting exhaust gases from an engine andcoolin the gases by said ingoing airto condense f rom said gases anymoisture contained therein, said second mentioned means being incommunication with said first mentioned means to deliver saidcondensation to the air passing to the engine intake.

'3. A device of the character described, the combination of a tubularpassage for conductlng air to an engine intake, a cham ber surroundingsaid conduit, meaiis for conducting engine exhaust gases to said chamberto heat the air passing through said conduit and to be cooled thereby tocondense moisture contained therein, said chamber having an opening in awell there of to permit the escape of said condensation into the ingoingair for admixture therewith. v

4; A device of the character described comprising a casing having aninlet and an outlet, tubular. passages in the casing having restrictedcommunication with the interior of the casing and communicatingat oneend with the atmosphere and at their opposite end with an engine intake,and

means for conducting engine exhaust gases. to the inlet of the casingfor circulation through said casing around said tubular passages,whereby the condensation from the exhaust gases accumulating in saidcasing .is delivered to the ingoing air for admixture therewith;

5. A device of the character described comprising a casing having aninlet and an outlet and a header at each end of said casing forming endchambers, tubular members 1n the casing secured at their ends to anopening to end chamber and permit the condensation.

to pass into the air flowing to the engine for admixture therewith.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature in presence vo two witnesses.

STANLEY R. DU BRIE.

Witnesses:

LEWIS FLANDERs, ANNA M. Donn.

